Slave Background
You have lived a life of servitude bound to someone whom you have called "master" for the better part of your life. As an indentured servant, slave, or thrall, you may have been a manservant or handmaiden in a royal household, the captured slave of an evil warlord, or a labourer born into bondage. Perhaps you were a prostitute under the thumb of an unscrupulous pimp, a scullion toiling under the watch of a wrathful chef, or the lowly assistant of a cruel and powerful wizard. Whether you were treated with cruelty or relative kindness, you were still expected to "know your place" and were punished when you stepped out of line. Toiling for another, obeying orders, and debasing yourself have been your way of life. You have since escaped servitude, having somehow won your freedom. Perhaps, it was against your will, e.g. you were dismissed after having disgraced your master, or your master died leaving you adrift in the world with no one to serve. Regardless, freedom is new to you. Your background as a slave has given you the patience to suffer the vagaries of powerful people and also insight into the dynamics of power, its uses and abuses. Skill Proficiencies: Insight, and choose one of either Persuasion or Deception. Tool Proficiencies: Choose any one tool proficiency. Languages: One of your choice Equipment: A set of common clothes, a pouch with 5gp, and a small but valuable item, stolen from, or gifted to you by your former master, worth 25gp Serving a master. Your master, for better or worse, was the central figure of your life. You may have learned skills that they taught you. Or they may have wished that you remain ignorant, but you picked things up, nevertheless, through patient and surreptitious observation. Choose an option or roll on the table below to determine what type of master you served. Feature: Solidarity You have an unspoken kinship with all people who live in servitude, a shared understanding of what it means to serve a master, as you once did. Speaking socially coded language, you can gain the trust of other servants, find welcome in their company, shelter in their midst, and sometimes even gaining access to places of power through the back doors. Speaking with other slaves and servants you can easily glean from them rumors and information regarding their masters. Suggested Characteristics The greater part of a slave's life has revolved around the wants and needs of another person and they are not used to caring too much about themselves, except for how they will make it to the next day. Their newfound freedom offers broader horizons, which can be exhilarating, challenging or nerve-wracking. Serving a master for many years tends to make slaves cautious, patient, self effacing and observant. Many have waited years upon years for the chance to break free from their bondage. As such, these (ex)slaves tend to value freedom as the highest ideal. On the other hand, there are those who feel it is part of the natural order of life that some are slaves and some are masters.